Help me decide - S Works Stumpjumper or Tallboy Ltc

I am deciding between purchasing a used 2012 S Works Specialized Stumpjumper 29er with a front Rock Shox and XX components or a new Santa Cruz Tallboy LTc 29er with xtr components and a Fox talus or float shock. Pricing is about the same. Which bike would you recommend. Any advantages or disadvantages of either. I mostly ride trails around the Northern California foothills.

Not sure what happened to JeepDave and not saying he didn't have difficulty with them, but my customer service from Santa Cruz has been really outstanding and if you search around you'll see more times than not this is the case.

Specialized comes in usually more expensive and offers you less for your money, I say that is a huge disadvantage. For example, you are looking at a used Spec vs a new Tallboy LTc.

Go with the LTc, the advantage is brand new everything and XTR, and the FOX 140 fork is outstanding. Have you rode them is the question and what were your impressions? I can tell you I love the LTc by the time I've spent on it but what matters is have your spent time on these bikes?

I would lean towards the Stumpjumper personally. I find that the suspension setup on the Stumpy to be better than on the santa cruz. If you're really worried about used vs new then stick with new but I think you'd be better served on the Specialized.

Stumpy vs TBLTc

I haven't ridden the S-Works but my wife has the W specific Stumpy and my fav. local shop is a Specialize dealer. When I bought my TBLTc I looked at the S-Works. The S was considerably more expensive than the LTc . The S had a 32mm fork and the brain shock rear. My wife's bike went 1 year before needing rear shock re-build. The Sram shifters went bad after 3 months, the wheels were heavy but not the same as S-works. I ride 4 days for every 1 she rides and I have had no problems with either my original TBc or my newer TBLTc. My first Blur [way back] cracked a frame after 3 years and Santa Cruz sent a new frame, no cost. The TBLTc has 34mm fork, a solid tested VPP system, very natural easy to ride handling. As for warranty I would rate SantaCruz as one of the best. I have E-mailed them about sus tuning and you get a quick response directly, not having to go thru a dealer. As everyone says demo the bikes you will know which one.

S-Works consists of 4 seperate monocoque structures which are bonded together.FACT IS
FACT IS our most advanced carbon construction method. By separating the frame into four large monocoque structures—head tube/top tube/down tube, seat tube, seatstays, and one-piece bottom bracket chainstay—this method allows the carbon fibers to run continuously from tube to tube, offering advantages in weight, stiffness, and strength.

Santa Cruz LTc carbon frame1) One piece lay-up and curing.
By laying up and curing the front triangle all at the same time, and not assembling together pieces, we're able to decrease the amount of material used by eliminating overlapping joints that have to be bonded or wrapped with carbon. Less material means fewer grams. This method is extremely expensive to do, since each size has to have a lot of dedicated tooling, nothing is shared between each size.

2) Continuing fibers around tube junctions.
The one-piece lay-up of the front triangle allows continuous fibers to be used that wrap between tubes, allowing the structure to distribute loads better, and absorb impact energy. We also are able to truly integrate the shock mounts, pivot mounts, dropouts and disc brake tabs into the structure, using all uni-directional carbon plies. The shock mount isn't merely riveted or bonded on after curing, but an integrated part of the fiber lay-up. This makes our carbon frames incredibly strong and able to absorb impact better than any other frames we've tested.

It is a tough decision. I can get a brand new tallboy ltc with all xl components and custom wheels for around $4500 through colorado cyclist. If I do go that route which custom wheels should I have them build for me. I weight about 195lbs and am 6'1". I normally ride the trails around the Auburn area. I rode them both and liked both bikes. I can get a used sworks for about the same. If you buy a used bike does the warranty transfer. This is a tough decision. Thanks for all your help.

P.S. Is it worth spending the $1200 upgrade price to go from XL to XLR components

If I do get a new ltc with XT through colorado cyclist should I go with the crest, arch, or flow wheels. Are the stock hubs fine or is it worth upgrading. Also, is it better to go with the talas of float shock. If you were building this bike what options or upgrades would you be sure to include. There are so many damn choices. Thanks for all the help!

The warranty won’t transfer, to my knowledge. The biggest difference between the XT and XTR is weight. They both function flawlessly and nearly identically.
Are you in Auburn, Al? I ride up there from time to time as my brother lives there. Props to the CAMP guys up there for what they have accomplished. There is some world class single track up there. Have you been up to the new trail in Aniston yet?

Due to your weight you will want to stick with Arch or Flows. I am riding Arch's(I am over the weight limit) with no problem. LOVE STANS! Hands down the best purchase I have made in tandem with going tubeless.

Skip the Talas fork, most never really take advantage of its flexibility, they just set it and keep it that way, plus it weighs more.

As far as XT vs XTR, well you have to ask yourself if you have the money. If you have the money, then I say yes, go XTR. The XTR shifting is much more smoother, crisper, and easier IMO. Brakes are a bit stronger than the XT brakes, I found it to be noticeable, but hey XT brakes really kick ass too. Cranks, well there is no real noticeable difference accept for weight. You'll for sure save some weight on the bike by going with XTR, if your into saving weight.

Figure it this way, you'll be the new owner of Tallboy LTc, register it with SC and no worries about the warranty transfer! Any problems, give SC a call and they are on it. They have helped me over the phone many times and I am not a dealer or anything like that.

I know diamondback and trek don't do warranty transfers so it doesn't surprise me that Spec is the same way.

It's a tough call. The talas is a more progressive, crappier fork than the float. But travel adjust is nice to have in some northern california spots. I ride auburn a few times a week and w/o travel adjust on my ibis, I'd be pulling wheelies on some spots on connector and a few of the climbs from the river (doc gordons, upper clementine road, ruckachucky, ranch trail, squaw trail).

You can't really go wrong with either bike, but I think a tallboy LTc with XT is a great doitall bike for anything you can throw at it. It's "the" bike of choice that yuba expeditions is pushing for downieville. I think the stock wheels are dt350s to wtb i23s. They're not super light, but they get great reviews. Really depends on your weight for the stans wheels.

There are so many options because there are so many variables in the purchase process. A couple thoughts:

1. I would buy new carbon frame for warranty. I'm willing to bet that S-Works was raced this past season and is due for some $$$ replacement parts.
2. XT vs XTR will net you about 1 lb with marginal performance gain - Is 1 lb worth $1200 to you?
3. Some of that weight is saved in the XTR cassette, chain rings and chain, which wear out faster than XT - can you afford to royce them once a year?
4. Talas gives travel adjustment - most people don't use it.
5. Take a step back and figure out what your current bike isn't doing for you and approach it from that angle. What do you want the bike to do for you - and then decide what you want in a bike. I'm not suggestingmyoumarema Noob, but the Noob Buyer's Guide may help you.

No, YOU don't understand. You're making an ass of yourself for all of eternity.

I had no idea that the link above existed. Thanks for posting it.The Sworks has only seen 25 miles but now I am leaning towards a new ltc for the warranty. XL will probably be fine given the riding I do. Now I just have to decide on wheels